Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.Photo: Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty
Queen Elizabethand the royal family are marking the first anniversary ofPrince Philip’s death with a poignant tribute.
April 9 marks one year since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, who died at age 99 fromold age. Philip, who the Queen once called her “strength and stay,“died “peacefully” at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace announced at the time. The monarch, who will turn 96 this month, and the rest of the family are spending the day privately, PEOPLE understands.
The poem, entitled “The Patriarchs – An Elegy,” begins: “The weather in the window this morning is snow, unseasonal singular flakes, a slow winter’s final shiver. On such an occasion to presume to eulogise one man is to pipe up for a whole generation - that crew whose survival was always the stuff of minor miracle, who came ashore in orange-crate coracles, fought ingenious wars, finagled triumphs at sea with flaming decoy boats, and side-stepped torpedoes
“Husbands to duty, they unrolled their plans across billiard tables and vehicle bonnets, regrouped at breakfast. What their secrets were was everyone’s guess and nobody’s business. Great-grandfathers from birth, in time they became both inner core and outer case in a family heirloom of nesting dolls.
“Like evidence of early man their boot-prints stand in the hardened earth of rose-beds and borders. They were sons of a zodiac out of sync with the solar year, but turned their minds to the day’s big science and heavy questions.
“To study their hands at rest was to picture maps showing hachured valleys and indigo streams, schemes of old campaigns and reconnaissance missions. Last of the great avuncular magicians they kept their best tricks for the grand finale: Disproving Immortality and Disappearing Entirely.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1956.INTERCONTINENTALE/AFP via Getty
Eight days after Philip’s death, afuneralwas held at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on April 17 with attendance limited to just 30 family members and close friends due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendees includedPrince Philip’s wife of 73 years (who sat alone due to social distancing precautions, resulting in a heartbreaking image), their four children, eight grandchildren and some of their spouses.
A larger memorial service was held last week at Westminster Abbey, providing an opportunity for representatives of the many charities and organizations thatPrince Philipworked with to pay tribute to him. In addition, some of his great-grandchildren — includingPrince George, 8, andPrincess Charlotte, 6 —were in attendance.
Queen Elizabeth.Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty Images
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Queen Elizabethalso attended the Service of Thanksgiving despite dramatically scaling down her public outings in recent months due tohealth setbacksandmobility issues.
source: people.com
